Car AC Leaking Freon

If your car AC is leaking Freon most likely your complaint is that the air is not blowing cold. Depending on how severe your Freon leak is, recharging it with one can of refrigerant may not last long.

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Although the most popular type of Freon r134a is supposed to be environmentally friendly it was still not designed to be released into the atmosphere in large quantities.

If you continue to recharge your AC and it continues to leak out, this is not good for you or the environment.

Finding AC Leaks

I wrote some good articles on this subject and will direct you to them. This first article is about slow Freon leaks and auto AC repairs. There you will find some tips and strategies for locating the smaller leaks that can be extremely frustrating to find.

This next page talks about finding large car AC leaks in automotive systems. Also included on the page are links to tools to help you solve the problem once and for all.

AC stop leak kits

AC dryer fittings

I’m often asked if the AC stop leak systems actually work. The answer to this question really depends on where the leak is and how severe.

The AC stop leak works best on the low pressure side of the automotive A/C system.

When the system is turned off on a hot summer day there could still be 100 PSI of pressure in the low side. But during normal operation the low side pressure falls down to about 35 PSI. This gives the air-conditioning stop leak a fighting chance to take hold and stay in place.

AC leaking Freon on the high side will usually need a physical repair of the problem. High side pressures can reach over 250 psi. In most cases stop leak will not be able to stay in place in the affected areas under these types of pressures.

car ac diagram

You can read the reviews about the different products but they are pretty much the same. They work well in some cases and they don’t work at all in others.

Also keep in mind if you go overboard and install too much of the stop leak it could actually harm the compressor and plug up critical areas of the car air-conditioning system.

My advice is to always try to find and repair the leak. In some cases the repairs can be miner such as a leaking O-ring or even a loose connection that just needs to be tightened. Under those circumstances there is no reason to install AC stop leak when a permanent repair is so easy.

I’m a strong believer that it is easier to fix something when you understand how it works fully. And this is what the car AC section of the youfixcars.com website is all about.

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2 comments

1997 Chevy Lumina complete new a/c system. Compressor, evaporator, dryer and new hoses and gasket 0-ring kit. A/C worked outstanding for 1 week.
Paid $1100.00 and the mechanic will not stand behind his work. Can you tell me if there is anything I could check before taking car to a different garage? Thank you for any advice and or guidance.